NEW YORK (March 5, 2024) — Today, ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ Capital’s platform for collaborative philanthropy, announced the grantees of the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab—a collaborative philanthropy fund that aims to mobilize $200 million to support organizations addressing youth anxiety and depression around the world.

 

The Co-Lab is kicking off with $112 million in donations from eight philanthropic donors and will support 25 grantee organizations with unrestricted funding over five years.

 

“This Co-Lab is boldly supporting organizations addressing critical but often neglected areas of youth mental health, like ensuring culturally responsive care for underserved populations and teaching young people how to build healthy relationships with technology,” says Xin Liu, philanthropist and anchor donor to the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab. “We’re encouraging other philanthropists to join us in this effort because we have an opportunity and a responsibility to empower the most vital and powerful force this world has—its young people.”

 

The mental health and wellbeing of young people around the world has been declining for nearly two decades. Roughly 20% of youth globally struggle with anxiety, and nearly one in four experience symptoms of depression. Mental health and policy experts agree that global trends like a worsening climate, financial inequity, social media use, and more have created a bleak present—and future—for young people around the world. This is particularly true for young people in the Global South, who often deal with compounding crises like extreme poverty, conflict, and forced migration.

 

Despite an increased need for support, only 2% of government health funding globally is directed toward mental health, leaving many young people without the care they need. Youth mental health and wellbeing is a prime space for support; every dollar given toward scaling interventions for depression and anxiety returns four times its value in terms of improved health and productivity.

 

It’s against this backdrop that ICONIQ Impact—alongside Xin Liu and other philanthropists in the ICONIQ community—launched the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab, which will support organizations focused on reducing youth anxiety and depression by (1) giving young people agency, (2) helping them foster a sense of community and belonging, and (3) building their resilience. A full list of the 25 grantees can be found here. The Co-Lab will fund organizations across the United States and the Global South. Organizations in the Global South will receive roughly 60% of the Co-Lab's total funding. Read the full press release.

 

Visit Enlight Grantmaking on Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing

​

More about ICONIQ Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab